perhaps an earthquake —
a butterfly tastes the wind
jellyfish abide
perhaps an earthquake —
a butterfly tastes the wind
jellyfish abide
contrarian breeze
undermines Irish heatwave
dandelions in flight
oak leaves in faint breeze
acorns blown across the grass
susurrus passes
(unfinished)
Sadako Sasaki
Hibakusha
Tears holding hands
School friends together
Running races
Joyfully growing
Folding paper cranes
One thousand for peace
Thousands massacred
Wind, rain, and fire
Tears shed for you
Hiroshima.

(For Robert & Juliette)
I must arise and go now
and go beyond the Pale,
and a small forest grow there,
a heart and mind remake.
And I shall have some ease there,
and peace to rest my limbs,
and she will wait upon the seas,
and walk on roots of birch and spruce.
And I shall call her on the wind,
like gull and hawk in sun.
I must clear out this festering way
and take a mountain step
across the lake that’s shaped my view,
and bid my drive farewell.
When oft I rest in thrall of moon,
and bless the hour that’s struck,
you’ll see me stride among the stars
‘mid leaves that paint a life sublime.
I’ll draw my warmth from a fire she’ll set,
and crack a bottle of wine.
_____________________
Note: This poem was originally composed in 10 minutes – while being recited into my iphone. It took a lot longer than that to knock into this shape.
The thrush has gone away.
At the very least, the brown wings
have not returned
to weigh down on the branch of the blossom tree.
The rose that rambles over the trellis
is abandoned
and vulnerable to the vagaries of wind.
At least when the feeding mother lets her weight
bear down on the thorns
there is some stability,
some attention holding the structure.
This may not be a heavy hand, or even a reliable hand,
but it’s like a listening ear, an attentive embrace of the neck,
a something that relieves the waving flowers
of having to stand on their own.
It doesn’t have to be that thrush,
a wagtail caress would be sufficient comfort
to remind my rose
it is never truly alone.